Western intel reports Hizbullah agents aiding Afghan insurgency
LONDON -- Hizbullah has been suspected of aiding the Islamist insurgency in Afghanistan and Pakistan.Western intelligence sources said the NATO mission in Afghanistan has detected the presence of Hizbullah operatives. They said the Hizbullah agents were believed to have been employed to help Al Qaida and Taliban insurgents in the war against the Western alliance.
"We know that Iran has been helping Taliban and even Al Qaida elements, and some of this assistance is flowing through Hizbullah," an intelligence source said.
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| A U.S. drone attack killed six militants, including an Hizbullah operative, in Pakistan's North Waziristan district, officials said. AFP/Massoud Hossaini |
On June 19, a Hizbullah operative was reported to have been killed in a U.S. air strike in Pakistan's North Waziristan. The operative was identified as Mohammed Al Hamadeh, a Lebanese national.
The sources said Hamadeh was believed to be one of scores of Hizbullah agents who have been operating along the frontier between Afghanistan and Pakistan. They said Hamadeh was a commander in Hizbullah and assigned to North Waziristan around 2007.
The U.S. unmanned aerial vehicle strike also killed 11 other fighters under Hamadeh's command. It was not clear whether the other casualties were linked to Hizbullah.
Over the last year, the sources said, Iran has increased assistance to Taliban and other insurgency movements in Afghanistan and Pakistan. They said Teheran's help included training to produce and operate improvised explosive devices.
Hamadeh has long been known to the European intelligence community. He spent nearly 19 years in a German prison after he was sentenced to life for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner and killing of a U.S. navy diver. In 2005, Germany secretly released him in a deal with Iran.
The sources said Hamadeh was recruited to join the so-called Islamic Jihad group in North Waziristan. Islamic Jihad was said to be linked to Al Qaida's No. 2 Ayman Zawahiri.


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